Grad Student Library of Congress Tours

The University of Maryland librarians have arranged for a specialized tour of the Library of Congress on two separate days. The tour will be given by Abby Yochelson, one of the Library of Congress reference librarians.  Although these tours have been organized with graduate students in mind, faculty and staff are welcome to attend.

Click on the URL of the tour date you would like to attend and fill out the registration information.  Each tour can accommodate a maximum of 25 people. If your registration is accepted you will receive an email confirmation. If you receive the message “sorry, but this form is no longer accepting submissions” this means the tour is already filled to capacity. 

Friday, October 17, 10 am – 12:30 pm 

https://libumd.wufoo.com/forms/library-of-congress-tour-101714/

Wednesday, October 22, 10 am – 12:30 pm

https://libumd.wufoo.com/forms/library-of-congress-tour-102214/

The tour will meet in the Lobby of the Jefferson Building, the oldest of the three buildings of the Library of Congress. Each of you will be responsible for getting there on your own. Directions and a map of the Library of Congress buildings can be found at:http://www.loc.gov/visit/directions/ . It is essential that you arrive on time.

If you wish to get a Reader Identification Card at the end of the tour you will need to present one of the following: a valid driver's license, state-issued identification card, or passport. You will also need to pre-register which you can do online at: http://www.loc.gov/rr/readerregistration.html /

The session will include the following:

1.  Basics about doing research at the Library of Congress.

2. Tour of the Library of Congress Great Hall and the Main Reading Room. The Main Reading Room is the primary entrance into the Library's research collections, and the principal reading room for work in the humanities and social sciences.

3. Overview of electronic databases available at the Library of Congress.

4. Tour of the Newspaper and Current Periodicals Room (Madison Building)

5. Visit the Reader Registration Room (Madison Building) for those who wish to obtain their Reader Identification Cards.  Please be sure to pre-register online. https://wwws.loc.gov/readerreg/remote/

BSOS Paid GA Position: Web Content Developer/Coordinator (Drupal)

Title: Web Content Developer/Coordinator—Graduate Assistant

Division: College of Behavioral and Social Sciences

Department: Office of External Relations

Work Hours: 20 Hours per week

The Communications and Marketing unit of the Office of External Relations within the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS) seeks a creative and committed graduate student to fill the position of Web Content Developer/Coordinator. This Graduate Assistantship position will be responsible for developing and editing content for the College’s websites under the guidance of the Director of Communications and Marketing and the Associate Director of Communications and Marketing.

Job Description:

Supports the Communications and Marketing unit and the unit’s internal and external clients by:

·       Building customized models and pages within the Drupal framework to accommodate a wide range of content types;

·       Working with clients across the College to update/edit content for a variety of BSOS Drupal users and to help other Drupal users build content management skills;

·       Assisting with the regular updating of content on the College’s websites and coordinating applicable Web services to include the staging of graphics, text and embedded multimedia;

·       Assisting in the population of visual content using the Visix Digital Signage (video screen) platform—training will be provided;

·       Performing a limited number of administrative tasks and other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

·       Experience with current versions of Drupal

·       Excellent interpersonal skills and comfort working in both a team environment and independently

·       Strong written and verbal communication skills

·       Ability to prioritize workload and respond appropriately to deadline pressures

Preferences:

·       Thorough knowledge of Drupal best practices and experience working on enterprise websites

·       Available to work a few hours every day M-W; alternative schedule of longer hours over fewer workdays can be determined as needed

Salary

·       Payment consistent with the regular University of Maryland graduate assistantship rate

·       Benefits of this appointment include: 10 Credits for Spring Semester, 10 Credits for Fall Semester, 8 Credits for Summer Term, 4 Credits for Winter Term, and participation in the employees’ health benefits program

Contact: Laura Ours, Director, Communications and Marketing, 301.405.0464, lours@umd.edu

RFP: Synthesis Research for Graduate Students

RFP: Synthesis Research for Graduate Students

The National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC), funded through a National Science Foundation grant to the University of Maryland, seeks proposals by graduate student teams for independent synthesis research that brings together social and environmental data in novel ways to address critical socio-environmental research questions.

Teams will conduct an independent synthesis research project that involves a series of face-to-face meetings at our Center in Annapolis, Maryland. Although the composition and number of participants in each team will depend upon the skills, expertise, backgrounds, and time necessary to complete the proposed activities, we anticipate that core teams will be composed of 5–7 PhD students. In addition to the PhD students, teams may also recruit up to three "external experts" whose targeted experience can provide supplemental input on how synthesis products may yield actionable outcomes. If recruited, external experts will supplement the activities of the core team as needed, and may include, for example, policy professionals, decision makers, government analysts, academic faculty, postdocs, NGO workers, master’s students, undergraduate students, and members from end-user communities.

SESYNC will provide support for travel and accommodations for all team members to attend meetings at the Center in Annapolis. Additional resources and expertise—particularly in areas of data aggregation, computational science, and informatics—may be available through SESYNC.

Upon project completion, each core team member will receive a $2,000.00 stipend and the title of SESYNC Graduate Student Fellow.

More Information & Submission Instructions

Visit www.sesync.org/opportunities/grad-themes-2014 for complete opportunity details.

Proposals must be submitted by July 30, 2014.

Abell Award in Urban Policy

The Abell Award in Urban Policy is given annually to the student(s) who authors the most compelling paper on a policy problem facing the City of Baltimore. The competition invites students to identify a policy problem affecting the city and offer a feasible solution. The top paper can win up to $5,000. For more information about the Abell Award, please check out our website: http://ips.jhu.edu/pub/Abell-Award-in-Urban-Policy.

This year, we're really trying to make sure that students from ALL of the Baltimore schools are notified about this opportunity and we appreciate your help. Over the next week or so, I was hoping you could send an email to students in your department or in relevant student groups and organizations about the program and let them know that entry forms can be found on our website (http://ips.jhu.edu/pub/Entry-Form) and must be sent to abellaward@jhu.edu by Friday, October 18th at 4:00 p.m.

Seminar: “Differences in Timing Perception Due to Aging May Not Entail Difference in Timing Use”

EVENT #4 (HESP)

Seminar: “Differences in Timing Perception Due to Aging May Not Entail Difference in Timing Use”

DATE:  Wednesday, October 2, 2013

TIME:  noon – 1 p.m.

LOCATION: 2208 LeFrak Hall

HOST:  Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences

Guest Speaker

Chris Heffner

Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences/Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science

http://hesp.umd.edu/gradprofile/Heffner/Christopher

CONTACT: Matthew Goupell

Goupell@umd.edu

301-405-8552

Workshop: “Charting Collections of Connections in Social Media: Creating Maps and Measures with NodeXL”

EVENT #3 (SOCY)

Workshop: “Charting Collections of Connections in Social Media: Creating Maps and Measures with NodeXL”
DATE: Wednesday, October 2, 2013
TIME: 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
LOCATION: 2115 Art-Sociology Building (Sociology Conference Room)

HOST: Department of Sociology

Guest Speaker

Dr. Marc A. Smith

Chief Social Scientist

Connected Action Consulting Group

Abstract:  Networks are a data structure common found across all social media services that allow populations to author collections of connections.  The Social Media Research Foundation's NodeXL project makes analysis of social media networks accessible to most users of the Excel spreadsheet application.  With NodeXL, Networks become as easy to create as pie charts.  Applying the tool to a range of social media networks has already revealed the variations present in online social spaces.  A review of the tool and images of Twitter, flickr, YouTube, and email networks will be presented. 

CONTACT: Alan Neustadtl

smilex3@umd.edu

301-405-6411

Discussion: “Grassroots Voices: Lessons from Building A Civil Society Movement”

EVENT #2 (CIDCM)

Discussion: “Grassroots Voices: Lessons from Building A Civil Society Movement”
DATE: Tuesday, October 1, 2013
TIME: 3:30  - 5 p.m.
LOCATION: 2212 B Banneker Room, Stamp Student Union

HOST: Center for International Development and Conflict Management (CIDCM)

Moderator- Professor Suheil Bushrui (BSOS)

Baha’i Chair for World Peace

Refreshments will be served.

Guest Speakers

Tal Harris

Executive Director, OneVoice Israel

Samer Makhlouf

Executive Director, OneVoice Palestine

CONTACT: CIDCM

CIDCMinfo@umd.edu

“Individual Behavior and Population Health Disparities: The Affordances Framework for Understanding Population Disparities in Physical and Mental Health”

EVENT #1 (MPRC/AASD)

Seminar: “Individual Behavior and Population Health Disparities: The Affordances Framework for Understanding Population Disparities in Physical and Mental Health”
DATE: Monday, September 30, 2013
TIME: noon – 1 p.m.
LOCATION: Margaret Brent Room, Stamp Student Union

HOSTS: The Maryland Population Research Center, African American Studies Department, and Center for Health Equity in the School of Public Health

Guest Speaker

James S. Jackson

Professor, Department of Psychology

Director, Institute for Social Research

University of Michigan

http://www.popcenter.umd.edu/new_e/event_1369852627115

Tea Time Tech Talks: Technology in the Classroom

Tea Time Tech Talks are informal conversations about pedagogical challenges in teaching in a technologically-enhanced learning environment, co-hosted by the Division of Information Technology and the University of Maryland Libraries. Each talk is mentored by a knowledgeable faculty member or librarian, but the conversation is free flowing and intended to raise as many questions as might be answered.

All sessions are located in McKeldin 2109 (Terrapin Learning Commons) from 3-4pm on Thursdays; light refreshments will be served and no registration is required.

9/26: Facilitated by Scott P. Roberts, Psychology Department and Ronald A. Yaros, Philip Merrill School of Journalism
”Mobile Devices in the Classroom:  BYOD (Bring Your Own Device or Your Own Distraction)?”

The facilitators represent a range of views on the topic.  Dr. Roberts, along with his colleague Dr. Ryan Curtis, has collected and analyzed performance and behavior data from hundreds of students that supports other studies that indicate digital devices can have a negative impact on learning.   Dr. Yaros is a university innovator in the successful integration of mobile devices and technologies in his teaching.  The conversation should be lively!

"Ways To Fail A Ph.D. Program"

A light-hearted article on "Ways That Students Fail PhD Programs". Not without merit, according to many recent UMD Ph.D. program graduates & faculty. Enjoy!

http://matt.might.net/articles/ways-to-fail-a-phd

EBay Policy Scholars! Apply Now!

SESYNC: Professional Development and Training Opportunities

The National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) is excited to offer new professional development and training opportunities specially designed for graduate students interested in conducting research on the complex interactions between human and natural systems.

We are now accepting applications from currently-enrolled PhD students in the natural, social, and computational sciences for a Networking & Proposal Writing Workshop. This workshop will provide graduate students with:

§  introductions to SESYNC, socio-environmental synthesis research, team science, and actionable science;

§  networking opportunities to build professional relationships with other students, particularly those from different disciplines interested in the same types of research questions;

§  training sessions on the methods, challenges, and strategies associated with writing successful proposals, especially those related to the type of work SESYNC supports; and

§  an overview of the two graduate research Themes, for which SESYNC will solicit proposals following the Networking & Proposal Writing Workshop.

The workshop will be held over 2½ days in Annapolis, MD, from January 15–17, 2014. It is intended to maximize progress by graduate students intending to apply to the research opportunities described atwww.sesync.org/graduate-student-themes . Travel to our facilities in Annapolis, MD, accommodations, and food expenses for workshop attendees will be provided by SESYNC in accordance with our travel policies.

Deadline for applications: September 20, 2013

For more information, including how to apply, visit www.sesync.org/opportunites/graduate-theme-workshop .

About SESYNC

The National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) is a national research center funded through a National Science Foundation grant to the University of Maryland.

Located in Annapolis, MD, SESYNC is dedicated to solving society’s most challenging and complex environmental problems. We foster collaboration amongst scholars from a diverse array of the natural and social sciences (such as ecology, public health, and political science), as well as stakeholders that include resource managers, policy makers, and community members.

Melissa Andreychek

Communications Coordinator

The National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC)

www.sesync.org

mandreychek@sesync.org

(410) 919-4990

Institute for Governmental Service and Research Part-Time Position

We are looking for someone to do data analysis and management on a couple of ongoing court-related projects.  The person would be picking up on work done so far, mostly involving merging, mixing and matching of data from multiple secondary data sources and conducting, at least in the short run, fairly simple descriptive analyses. Ideally, we need someone with real experience and knowledge using SPSS for all of the above, though we may have some flexibility in terms of the stat software.

 

We need someone to start ASAP. Minimally, they would need to commit to 15 hours a week, and it could range upwards to fulltime for the summer months, depending on fit and availability.  On these conditions, it could continue part-time in fall. Given the nature of the work required, the weekly work hours and location are negotiable – the priorities are reliable communication and getting the tasks done correctly and expeditiously. 

 

Interested parties should send an email, CV, and contact info to Doug Young at dyoung@umd.edu and he’ll get back to them forthwith. 

SESYNC Graduate Student Theme Proposal Writing Workshop

Graduate Student Theme Proposal Writing Workshop
www.sesync.org/opportunites/graduate-theme-workshop

SESYNC is now accepting applications for its Graduate Student Theme Proposal Writing Workshop.

The SESYNC Graduate Scholars Program (June 2012–January 2013) harnessed the creative abilities of graduate students from the social and natural sciences to identify and develop SESYNC Themes. Two of these will form the basis of a request for proposals to which graduate students exclusively may apply.

Prior to requesting proposals for the graduate student Themes, SESYNC will hold a Graduate Student Theme Proposal Writing Workshop for students interested in submitting proposals. This workshop will provide networking and training opportunities and activities that may help potential applicants to form synthesis teams, as well as to build professional relationships amongst emerging socio-environmental synthesis (SES) scholars. The workshop also will offer training sessions on SES research and team science, actionable science, and methods, challenges, and strategies associated with writing successful SESYNC Pursuit proposals.

Dates

The workshop will be held over 2.5 days in Annapolis, MD, in early December 2013 or late January 2014 (specific dates are to be determined). Travel to Annapolis, MD, accommodations, and food expenses for workshop attendees will be provided by SESYNC.

Eligibility

Applicants must be currently-enrolled social, computational, or natural science Ph.D. students who have completed at least two years of their doctoral degree.

More Information

To learn more about the workshop, the graduate Themes, and how to apply, visit the opportunity page here: www.sesync.org/opportunites/graduate-theme-workshop


Melissa Andreychek


Communications Coordinator

The National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC)

www.sesync.org

mandreychek@sesync.org

(410) 919-4990